More than 13,200 high school students have filed applications to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, according to numbers released today by Rensselaer Admissions. Applications are still being counted, but the current record total represents a growth of more than 8.8 percent since last year at this time.

“Rensselaer has continued to garner unprecedented levels of student interest this year,” said Paul Marthers, vice president for enrollment and dean of undergraduate and graduate admissions. “In addition to an overall increase in the number of applications to the Institute, we are also seeing important increases in some of our priority growth areas, including an increase in women and minority applicants and growth in geographic and cultural diversity. Together, we are building the campus of the future that includes diversity in all its cultural and intellectual forms and brings together students from around the world and many perspectives to grow their knowledge base and work together to help solve the biggest problems facing society, business, science, architecture, and engineering.” 

The 2010 applicant pool represents a continued expansion of the national and international profile of the student body, as well as a significant increase in applications from women and underrepresented minorities.

Of particular interest are these significant increases realized since last year:

• Applications from underrepresented minorities have increased by 22.7 percent.
• Applications from female students have increased by 13 percent.
• Applications from international students have increased by 39.6 percent.
• Applications from U.S. students outside of the Northeast have increased by 20 percent.

Rensselaer also has seen significant growth in the number of prospective students who are interested in new areas of the expanding curriculum, beyond the Institute’s tradition of strong applicant growth in engineering:

• Applications to the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences have increased by 7.6 percent.
• Applications to the School of Science have increased by 12.5 percent.
• Applications to the Lally School of Management & Technology have increased by 1 percent.

The academic quality of applicants also continues to rise. The average SAT score of the applicants is up almost 13 points from the previous year.  Applicants continue to demonstrate extracurricular achievement and leadership, ranging from sports captains and class presidents, to entrepreneurs, Science Olympiad stars, and Eagle Scouts. 

Contact: Gabrielle DeMarco
Phone: (518) 276-6542
E-mail: demarg@rpi.edu